Feeling anxious is common, and anxiety is normal when facing stressful events. However, when anxiety becomes persistent, overwhelming, and irrational, it may interfere with daily activities like performance at work and relationships. When anxiety becomes excessive, one may develop an anxiety disorder.
There are different types of anxiety disorders, including:
- Panic disorders where one experiences recurrent panic attacks. Panic attacks are a sudden surge of intense fear/ discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes.
- Agoraphobia where significant fears/ anxieties about the following situations (lasting for 6 months or more) because of thoughts about the following:
- Being in enclosed place
- Being in open spaces
- Being outside of the home alone
- Using public transportation
- Standing in line or being in a crowd
- Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events/ activities that is constant, and lasts for at least 6 months. People with GAD find it difficult to control their worry.